Innocence
by Ninja of Thunder
Summary: Sora discovers the identity of the father he never knew and his world immediately turns upside down. As old friendships break apart and new alliances form, Sora is thrust into a journey of self-discovery that can either end in misery or triumph.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

* * *

"This is it Sora." Riku said as he and Sora gazed at the door in front of them. A bridge made from pure light led the way inside for those courageous enough to try. Riku turned his eyes away from the sight to look at the face of his best friend. "Are you ready?"

Sora looked at the faces around him. Riku gazed with intensity, waiting for his decision. Kairi looked down at the ground, trying to hide the worry showing in her face. Donald has his staff ready for a battle: he knew what choice Sora would make. Goofy also looked ready for combat with his shield held in front of him. Finally, Sora looked at Mickey who summoned his own keyblade and nodded to the teen, acknowledging that now was the time.

Sora looked back at the expectant face of Riku. "It's time to end this" he said. Riku nodded in approval and Sora stepped through the door with his party in tow.

As Sora entered the door, he saw a city. A dark city. As he began to walk forward, he fought his way through the buildings. He could feel the harsh impact of his keyblade on the concrete of the buildings. He shifted his gaze behind him as he saw the building he had just passed carved into two pieces. Sora could still feel the concrete giving underneath the sheer force of his arm. Not by his own strength. By the strength of the keyblade. Sora continued on his way.

Xemnas would be the last to die. The last futile attempt to defy the light of Kingdom Hearts. The last nobody to be wiped out of existence by the very weapon they had sought to exploit for their own sick purpose. No. Xemnas could not be left alive. Coming to an ultimatum, Sora dove farther into the mass of buildings, rapidly fighting his way to where he knew the silver haired nobody would be awaiting his destruction. Too soon, he found himself face to face with his enemy.

Sora held up his keyblade, challenging the nobody to a clash of will. Initiating a contest of brute strength. Annihilating any chance the older man previously had of escaping. Xemnas's face broke into a feral snarl as he too summoned his weapon, accepting the challenge bestowed upon him by the young hero.

* * *

Pain. Rage. Derision. Scorn. Darkness. All could be felt in the air as an epic battle for justice ensued between two opposing forces. Sora, who fought for hope, integrity, and above all the light. His allies behind him: Donald, Goofy, Mickey. On the disparate side: Xemnas, the champion of anger, hatred, and ambition.

As the battle drew to a close, Sora felt his limbs slowly weakening. He could feel the numbness of his senses crying out for the termination of this perseverating battle. But he couldn't give up. He refused to give up. He would continue to fight until his last breath. Until his soul was eradicated from existence. Until he himself was nothing but a shell of his former self.

Slowly, very slowly, Sora began to notice a lull in the battle. Xemnas was not attacking as fiercely as before. No. It was more like he was playing with him now. A sadistic dance. As if Sora were a child he was forced to indulge.

Panting, Sora gazed up at the nobody in front of him with the purest loathing. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that knowing smirk which had grown on his face since the commencement of the fray. Almost as if he knew something Sora was too irrational to understand. What could this nonexistent, arrogant bastard possibly know that he didn't? Unconsciously, his grip on the keyblade tightened further.

Xemnas's lip twitched as he took in the young keyblade master's reaction to his very presence. So the child truly didn't know? Xemnas considered telling him the ugly truth. His smirk became decidedly more pronounced as he spoke a truth that he knew the child would never want to know. _'After all,'_ he thought, _'he does have the right to know'_.

"Keyblade wielder. . .you know little of your true reality. . ."

"I know enough to defeat you!"

"Do you really Sora?"

"Of course I do! I'm the keyblade MASTER! Master- as in 'master of defeating nobodies'!"

"You are foolish Sora. . ."

"And how would you know that?"

"Do you truly wish to know?"

"Stop avoiding the subject!"

"Well. . .First of all. . .you are not a keyblade master. . ."

"WHAT!!?? But I have the keyblade!!"

"You do. . .but you never took the exam. . ."

"Wait! There's an exam!!??"

"Are you too ignorant to even know about the exam?"

"Please, please tell me there's no math on this exam!" Sora pleaded with a panicked look on his face as he glanced nervously down at his newly discovered pathetic keyblade.

Xemnas shook his head slowly at the sheer stupidity that was an integral part of the child destined to be both his greatest enemy, and his greatest treasure. With a twisted sense of finality, Xemnas delivered his verdict to the ignorant keyblade wielder.

"No...you see, Sora...you are my sin."

"I'm your...what?"

"My sin Sora. Honestly, what has your mother been teaching you? Do you not even understand the concept of divinity or morality?"

"Uh. . .if this is some attempt to psyche me out by saying some really random stuff. . .it's working."

"Humph. . .your mother always was an airhead. . ."

"Hey! What gives you the right to talk about my mother that way?"

"You still do not understand me?"

"What is there to understand about some nobody creep who insults my mother and tries to freak me out by saying I'm your 'sin,' whatever that means. . ."

"Sora. . .What you fail to realize is. . .I am your father."

Sora's initial shock could not have been any more evident as his mouth dropped open in shock, his eyes widened in denial, and his keyblade fell from his hand as he landed knees first, on the ground. Slowly at first, then with more intensity, Sora began to hyperventilate. The father he had never known. The father who had abandoned him. The last man he had ever expected to see again was. . .

"Yes, Sora. . .the man who you call father. . .is a monster."

Xemnas smirked at his son's reaction. The boy truly was an idiot. How could he have not seen this coming? He may look more like his mother than him, but could he truly not see the resemblance between them? Still. This could prove useful to the organization's goal. After all, if the keyblade bearer was too confused and angry, then who was there to stop him from taking Kingdom Hearts for his own? Xemnas's smirk became more pronounced as this observation implanted itself in his mind.

"Well. . .I see you have much to consider Sora. . .Until we meet again. . .my son. . ."

With those final words, Xemnas left the broken teen lying on the ground. Once Xemnas had gone, Sora turned, still hyperventilating, to his companions hoping for some sort of reassurance. Goofy had a look of sorrow on his face, but Donald looked downright angry.

"You lied!"

Sora gaped at the duck's cruel words. Donald ruffled his feathers with a huff.

"You're his son! You've probably been working for him the entire time!"

Without another word, Donald grabbed Goofy's arm and dragged him in the opposite direction.

"But. . ."

Goofy cast a last forlorn glance at the young boy he had become so attached to before he reluctantly turned away. Sora was sure he felt his heart break. He then turned to his last hope: King Mickey. Mickey stood there looking down at the ground.

"Y-your Majesty?"

Mickey looked up and through the mask of conflicting emotions, Sora saw an overwhelming sense of guilt. Sora stared nervously at the king. What would Mickey have to feel guilty about? Unless. . .but wait. . .Sora's eyes widened in shock. Did he-

"You. . .You knew!"

Mickey didn't accept or deny Sora's claim. He only looked at the young boy, remorse the prominent expression in his eyes.

"How could you?! Why didn't you ever tell me?! To keep an eye on me? Make sure I didn't do anything out of line?"

The king just shook his head. How could he think that of him?

"Sora. I judge you by what _you_ do, not by what that creature of a father does."

Sora crossed his arms angrily across his chest and glared in the opposite direction. Mickey had known the truth the entire time. He had known and had never told him. Without a word, Sora walked briskly away from the sorrowful king. As he left the room they were standing in, he passed Riku and Kairi who looked at him in confusion as he brushed past them.

"Sora. . ." Kairi tried futilely to stop him. He didn't turn back. Riku stared after his swiftly retreating body. What had happened to his best friend?

Sora felt anger, hurt, sadness, betrayal, and above all, a sheer determination to prove Mickey wrong. Sora promised himself right then that he would never be his father. He would make sure NO ONE would ever believe he was anything like his father. No one. Not Riku. Not Kairi. Not King Mickey. Not Donald. Not Goofy. Not Organization XIII. Not even himself.

* * *

Me: Please forgive the randomness of this story. I've been playing around with this idea for about a year now and I finally started typing it. By the way, we're all going to pretend that Birth by Sleep never happened so Xemnas is still just a random freak who wants Kingdom Hearts to himself. Not Terra. Also, if you like the story, please review because if I don't get feedback I'll probably just end up giving up on it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

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Sora wandered throughout the World That Never Was. Silent tears slowly slid down his face as he made his way through hordes of heartless. None bothered him. He supposed it was the mood he was in. No happiness. No joy. No light. Why would the heartless want to concern themselves with that? They were only attracted to light.

Sora tried to distract himself. Nothing worked. No matter how hard he tried to suppress them, the memories kept flowing back to him. Unwanted. Unnecessary. Unwarranted. Needless. Sora remembered things he shouldn't. Recalled events he would rather have forgotten. The endless flow of memories was ceaseless in their indifferent, perpetual tide.

_Sora was seven years old. He walked into the living room where his mother sat reading a magazine. He had finally gained the courage to ask something he had been wondering about for months. _

_'Mommy?' Sora asked as he neared his mother. _

_The brown haired woman looked up from her magazine and smiled at the sight of her only son. _

_'Yes honey?' she asked as she closed the magazine, setting it on the coffee table. Sora immediately climbed onto her lap and hugged her around the waist, snuggling his head into her chest._

_'I was just wondering . . . ummm. . .' _

_Sora pulled his mother closer to himself as he wondered how to word his request._

_'What is it honey?'_

_'Uhhh. . .well. . .I just wanted to know. . .Why don't I have a daddy?' Sora asked with a slight blush on his face. His mother smiled ruefully at him._

_'I'll tell you when you're older.'_

_'But I want to know now! Everyone else has a daddy! Riku has a daddy! So does Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie! So why don't I have one? Did I do something wrong? Does he hate me?'_

_'I'll tell you when you're older.' Sora's mother repeated, stroking his hair comfortingly. _

_'But why can't I know now?' Sora insisted with a pout._

_'You're just not ready yet.'_

_A twelve year old Sora waited patiently after school for his mother to get off work to pick him up. He looked around him and saw the other children talking animatedly with one another. Sora then gazed toward the school waiting for his best friend to exit the building. Sure enough, it didn't take Riku long to walk outside, scan the group of kids, and catch sight of his friend. Riku smiled as he made his way over to his best friend._

_'Hey Sora!'_

_'Hey Riku! Wanna go do something later?'_

_The silver haired boy shook his head._

_'I'm sorry Sora; I'm going out with my dad today.'_

_'Oh. . .' _

_Sora gazed at his friend and couldn't help but notice that the other boy didn't seem sorry at all. Quite the opposite really. He seemed thrilled. But then why wouldn't he be? _

_'Well I've got to go Sora. I'll see you tomorrow!' _

_'Yeah. . .' Sora replied in disappointment. As he watched his friend depart with his father, Sora couldn't help but feel a little bit lonely. To distract himself, Sora tried to turn his attention to something else. He turned toward the other students and once again felt a pang of loneliness as he saw his fellow classmates either waving to waiting parents or else hugging them after a long day of work. Parents. Sora wished he had them. Sure he had his mother, but it just wasn't the same as actually having _both_ parents around. Sora sighed and turned to try and find his mother in the crowd of people. He smiled just a little bit as he saw his mother waving energetically at him with a wide smile plastered across her face._

_Sora was 13. He was walking down a quiet street on his way home from the island. Riku and he had departed ways just prior to reaching this street. Soon, Sora stopped. He heard voices. Not just any voices either. One belonged to his mother. The other to a man. Sora walked closer toward the direction the voices were coming from. Once he was able to make out the voices, he stopped._

_'You haven't told him yet? Why not?' the man's voice said._

_'You know very well why I haven't told him!'_

_'Hikari. . .he has a right to know. . .'_

_'Not if it makes his life a living hell! Do you really want to do that to your own son?'_

_Sora felt himself tense up. Was this his father? Why didn't him mother want him to know who he was? What could possibly be so horrible about him? Sora sat frozen in shock as he tried to process the fact that his father was standing just a few feet away. Before he could decide whether or not to walk into the alley and see his father for himself, even if it was just a fleeting glimpse, he heard footsteps._

_'Sora, honey?'_

_Sora's head snapped up at his mother's voice._

_'Honey, what are you doing here?'_

_'I. . . uh. . .was with Riku. . .'_

_'Well let's get you home before you catch a cold.' The brown haired woman said as she placed a hand gently around her son's shoulders. Sora complied as he began to walk with her, sure to look into the alleyway where his mother had previously been speaking with his father. No one was there._

_'Mom. . .'_

_'Yes honey?'_

_'Who were you just talking to?' Sora asked, sure of the answer but wanting his mother to confirm what he already knew._

_She sighed. 'No one honey. It's not important.'_

_Sora sighed in irritation. So she really didn't want to tell him? Fine then. He would find out for himself. One day. For now though, he would play the part of the obedient son and try to forget about what had happened._

Sora sighed as he tried unsuccessfully to push his memories to the back of his mind. They wouldn't stop. His feelings, his desires, his insecurities, and his pain. He couldn't shake any of it. Sora felt himself slowly losing his will to keep going, but he _had_ to keep going. If he didn't, who knew who would be the one to find him? Sora didn't know what he'd do if it was Mickey who found him. He hardly wanted to _think_ about that traitorous mouse let alone see him right now. Sora wasn't sure he would ever be able to forgive his former ally for withholding his father's identity from him. Did Mickey really think that little of him? Was he really so concerned about any possible fickleness in Sora's heart? Was he really so sure that Sora would turn out exactly like his father before him if he knew? Sora didn't truly know the answer, but he needed someone to blame and Mickey made an excellent scapegoat.

So did Xemnas. Sora had never hated anyone more than he did his father at that moment. Never before had he been so blinded by sheer rage and horror by one person. Never before had he wished someone such a terrible death that he couldn't even imagine the pain of it himself. Never before had he wished he truly _had _been abandoned forever by the man who had brought him into the world.

Finally, Sora couldn't take the pain anymore. He couldn't go on. His legs were stiff and frozen with cold and desolation. Sora stooped moving and fell on his knees in the middle of the wet road. Around him, rain fell steadily. Heartless surrounded him, but Sora wasn't afraid. What more could they do to him? He was already broken. He felt it across his chest like a dagger. Across his heart.

_Thump._

For a while, he just sat and listened to his steady heartbeat, wishing for the first time that it would just stop once and for all.

_Thump._

Why was he still living when he wanted only to dissolve and cease to exist?

_Thump._

A lone heartless looked up from its scurrying and saw the despondent keyblade wielder.

_Thump._

The heartless began to scurry closer toward the teenager on the ground.

_Thump_.

Sora looked up and pulled himself from his thoughts as he felt a weight on his lap.

_Thump_.

The heartless looked up at Sora with its yellow, expressionless eyes as the teenager slowly wrapped his arms around the small creature.

_Thump_.

Sora smiled. Maybe, just maybe, he _could_ go on. Maybe he _could_ live through this. Maybe he _could_ come to accept his lineage for what it was: an uncontrollable event decided by destiny. Maybe.

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Goofy gazed forlornly out the gummi ship window as Donald drove them to their next destination. Where that was, he didn't know. He didn't particularly care either. It just wasn't the same without Sora there with them. He looked over his shoulder at Donald who was steering with tense hands and a glare upon his face.

"Donald. . ."

"No!" the duck replied.

"But. . ."

"No! We're not going back! We can't trust him anymore! He's been working behind our backs this entire time, I just know it!"

Goofy sighed. He could tell he wouldn't be able to change the duck's mind. Not yet at least. Goofy knew it was wrong, but he had to stay with Donald. If anything, it would make it easier to convince him that Sora truly was the same bright, energetic kid he had been before. There was another reason as well. Selfish as it was, Goofy didn't like the idea of losing his old friend for the sake of an uncertain future and possible betrayal by his newest ally.

For now though, Goofy felt that he himself was the traitor. After all, he had agreed to leave Sora, however reluctantly. He had abandoned his new best friend to a world of danger, uncertainty, and pain. And he had done nothing to stop it. He had spared only a glance and a single murmured word for the boy he had grown so fond of. He glanced at Donald once again. If he could change the duck's opinion, maybe it would be worth it. Maybe _that_ could be his redemption. Goofy nodded firmly to himself as he reached an ultimatum. He _would_ change Donald's mind. One way or another, he would.

As Goofy mulled over his thoughts and feelings, Donald was, unbeknownst to him, doing the same thing. Despite his cold behavior toward his friend, Donald _did_ feel guilty for leaving him. It wasn't like he had done anything to deserve it. It wasn't like Sora had done _anything_ to ever make the duck question his loyalty. Sora had always been there for him. Had always done whatever was needed for someone else despite the cost. Through all that had happened and all that was yet to come, Donald would have bet anything he owned that Sora would always be the light for the worlds.

Then this happened. Donald knew it was stupid. He knew it was unfair. He knew it was faithless. He still couldn't change his gut feeling that Sora would betray them. Despite knowing the flaws in his reasoning, Donald just couldn't forget what Xemnas himself had done. All the suffering and chaos he caused. The broken promises. The shattered dreams. The sheer amount of horrific deeds that threatened to crush whoever was foolish enough to try to remember them all. Xemnas enjoyed pain. He enjoyed misery. But most of all, he loved anarchy. The lack of rules in life that brought out the worst in a person. The thing that brought even the best of people down to _his_ level.

Donald didn't_ want _to be unfair to Sora but he wasn't willing to forget these things. These atrocities. But by thinking of Sora, he was now reminded of these things unwillingly by the revelation that Sora was the heir to Xemnas's illicit and shady organization. Besides, Donald felt he did indeed have justification. People changed. As people grew, they developed into different people. The same applied to Sora. Who knew what he would be like in 20 years? 10 years? Even a single year from now he could change dramatically from what he was now. As flawed and imperfect as this reasoning was, it was Donald's only justification for what he was doing. For now, it _had _to work. Donald would _make_ it work. Maybe one day he would be able to realize his mistake, but not yet. Not this soon.

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Mickey was running frantically around the World That Never Was. Where was Sora? Mickey _had _to find him. He _had _to explain his reasons for keeping Sora's parentage a secret. Sora was convinced that it was due to a lack of trust. It wasn't. That was what Mickey had to clarify. What Sora _had_ to understand. But the young keyblade bearer was nowhere to be found. Mickey paused in his frenzied searching as a thought hit him. It wasn't that he couldn't find Sora. Sora didn't _want_ to be found. Not now at least. Not by him.

Mickey watched the raindrops cascading from the rooftops, forming puddles across the deserted road. He thought over his options and the consequences for each option. He could find Sora. He could make him listen. But would that really help anything over the long run? Sora was upset Mickey hadn't told him. That much was obvious. But in his eyes had been a deeper sense of pain. A pain that couldn't disperse through any amount of good reasons. Sora's anger, while lashed out at Mickey, was truly meant for Xemnas. Sora just didn't know how to deal with this.

Mickey's other option was to allow Sora his much needed time alone to think over his situation. The teen needed time to come to terms with his new discovery. To make peace. To become confident in the person he was and the person he always would be. To understand for himself that Xemnas's actions did not dictate his own thoughts and feelings. Only then would Sora truly be willing to listen to Mickey, accept his reasons for what he did, and eventually forgive the mouse for his mistake. Mickey took one last glance at the wet, empty streets around him before he turned away, praying to any gods that there might be that Sora would be safe and secure in himself.

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Sora wandered around the World that Never Was, a lone heartless following behind. For some reason, this heartless seemed to have decided Sora was his new best friend and had been following him for the past hour. Sora sighed in annoyance. He felt so stupid. How could he not have realized that by leaving his 'friends' behind, he now had no way off this stupid, depressing world. Sora let out a growl of annoyance as he punched a nearby wall. It hurt, but at least Sora felt something other than the pangs of loneliness and anger as blood slowly dripped down his fingers.

Sora sat on the ground, eyes staring at his new injury. Great. Now he was alone, lost, abandoned, the heir of the most evil man he knew, and _bleeding_. Things just couldn't get any worse. As this thought passed through Sora's mind, he felt the rain (which had lighted considerably in the past hour) pouring harder than ever. Apparently they could. Sora glared up at the clouds hovering above him. Someone up there must really hate him. Sora took a deep breath as the heartless crawled once again into his lap. Well. At least he had some form of comfort.

"You need a name, don't you little guy?" Sora asked the heartless as his fingers absently stroked the thing's head. Sora's face scrunched up in concentration. What could he name it? Better, how could he tell if it was a male or a female? Sora nearly facepalmed at this thought. What did it matter? It was a fucking _heartless_! It wouldn't know the difference between a guy name and a girl name! But it would make things easier, he reasoned. Taking another look at his new friend, Sora decided that the heartless was a girl. Why he decided to dub it a girl, he didn't know, but it made him feel just a little better having some sort of accomplishment after all that had happened. Now he just needed to think of the perfect name.

Glancing around, Sora thought of all the pet names he could. Back on the islands, he and Riku had often found stray animals and taken them to their special place on the island to keep. Even back then, Sora had been useless when it came to creating names. This time, however, he felt things would be different. He would find the perfect name all on his own. That's when it happened.

Sora saw an old, abandoned home. Digressing from his previous train of thought, he wondered who had lived in these many homes and shops in the World That Never Was. Who had lived here before the Organization? Who had been the original inhabitants? And what had happened to them once the Organization had created their stronghold? The home that had caught Sora's attention was a small, run-down building, but it had obviously been a treasured home at one point. Sora could see the old lights: those not yet burned out were flickering indifferently. He saw the overgrown vegetable garden filled with the decaying remnants of seasons past. He saw the flower pots scattered around the windows and doorways to provide a sense of home. Flower pots now empty of life and devoid of purpose. Just like Sora's own life. Wait. That was it. Sora looked down at the heartless sitting contentedly in his lap. A smile found its way onto his face.

"Well. I think I've found you a name! From this day on, you will be Flower!"

Sora sat sitting happily, still with that silly smile plastered on his face as his new pet stared uncomprehendingly up at him. Sora then felt his face fall. Was he really still this incapable of naming things? No. He wasn't. As stupid as the name sounded in hindsight, Sora stuck by it. It was strangely symbolic, in a way. The flower pot was missing its flower. The flower that would be its purpose in life. Sora hoped that his little Flower would be the meaning in his own life now. At least until he came to terms with his uncertain destiny. Yes. He would keep the name Flower.

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Time passes. No matter the situation, it doesn't stop for anything. Not for kings, or celebrations, or mourning. Time goes on. The endless trickle of time passes, unmoved by the effects it has on its mortal subjects. All things are subject to time. So Sora decided. Time wouldn't stop for him to pull himself together. Knowing this, Sora decided he had to act. But what was he to do? He was still stranded. That was when he remembered the portal. Of course. The portal Axel had made before his suicide.

Sora felt an initial wave of gloom settle upon him as he recalled Axel's parting. The haunted, faraway look in his eyes as he spoke of Roxas would haunt Sora until his own death. Axel had been the enemy. But had he really? Sora wasn't so sure. Would an enemy really give up his life for someone he wanted to control? No. He wouldn't. But an ally would never attempt to sway him to the opposing side. Sora truly regretted that he would never get the chance to question Axel for himself. To discover for himself the inner workings of the older Nobody. Axel had also known his father. Sora was unsure how he felt about that topic, but he still would have liked to have the option of discussing his parentage with someone who had been on the inside of the Organization's mysterious workings.

Shaking his head, Sora pulled himself from his thoughts. He had enough to think about as it was. The last thing he needed was to become catatonic over thoughts of a dead man. The main priority now had to be getting out of this world. Without another word, Sora set off toward where he knew the abandoned portal lay waiting.

When Sora reached his destination he felt a surge of relief and, despite himself, nostalgia. Sora hesitated as he looked behind him. Flower sat there, head cocked slightly to the side in a way that looked simply adorable. It was as if she was wondering why her master was standing in front of this dark portal and whether he was taking her with him.

"I'm sorry, Flower. You can't come with me. It wouldn't be safe! I-I'm not exactly sure where I'm going. All I know is that I have to. Goodbye Flower."

Sora knelt down to hug his poor, abandoned Flower one last time, took a final glance around him, and stepped through the dark portal. He wondered only vaguely what he would do after reaching Twilight Town as he felt the cool darkness overtake him. Little did he know, Flower sat in the same spot, watching her new friend disappear with a look of agitation and annoyance. Now she would have to hunt him down herself.

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Sora breathed deeply as he took in the everlasting twilight that surrounded him. Back in Twilight Town. It was ironic that his latest journey had begun here, and now here he was again. It was funny how much his perspective had changed. Just yesterday he had stood in this very spot, happy and naïve, searching frantically for the people most important to him. Now, standing here again, he felt a strange sense of longing. He missed that boy he had been. The charismatic, happy-go-lucky teenager who had been so devoted to the light. He couldn't help but wonder if he would ever see the light the same way. Right now, it just seemed tainted by the darkness. Or maybe that was just his own heart.

Sora quickly began to walk away from the street he stood in. He began to wander aimlessly, mostly just for something to do, but also trying desperately to escape his thoughts and memories. Eventually, Sora found himself on Sunset Hill. Sora looked up at the perpetual sunset and sat down without being fully conscious of wanting to do so. He gazed into the distance and remembered a sunset much like this one. One he had spent with Riku and Kairi the day before he arrived, confused and terrified, to Hollow Bastion with a strange new weapon in his hands. He had been thrilled when he found out his destiny. Sure he had been hesitant and anxious at first, but after the initial shock had worn off he had considered it the coolest thing to ever happen to him. How wrong he had been. This wasn't "cool" at all. This was hell. Pure torture. Had he known what was to come, he would have taken the keyblade for the sole purpose of driving it into the heart of his father, noble intentions be damned.

Father. The word itself brought a myriad of confused emotions to Sora. He was infuriated. His father had effectively ruined his life. Sora had lived as a child abandoned by the man he was supposed to be closest to. Despite this, he had grown, developed, and eventually come to be the young man he was now. All without his father's guidance. He was lonely. Despite the pain his father had put him through; he still felt the pangs of being unwanted. A burden. And more than anything he desired the company of a loving father. He felt ashamed. He was the spawn of the single most villainous man he had ever met. It went against everything Sora believed in and it hurt to think of that. The thing that confused him the most though, was that through everything there was one emotion he never would have suspected to be there. Happiness. It was practically blasphemy. A forbidden feeling in this situation. Yet he felt it. He was happy. He finally knew who his father was. Was it really so perverse to be happy about having that knowledge? That one piece of proof that he hadn't just fallen from the sky one day to exist in the world? And yet Sora would have given anything for this knowledge to be proven false.

Sora tried to pull himself from his thoughts. After all, sulking wouldn't change a thing, and Sora still needed to figure out what to do. Where could he go? How could he take care of himself? Who would help him now? As these thoughts passed through his head, Sora glanced down and saw a single train riding the tracks beneath his haven where he sat. Sora continued to watch the train as it left, eyes lingering on the spot on the horizon where it had disappeared. Unbidden, an image of a tower appeared in his mind. Yen Sid. He had gummi ships right? Maybe Sora could have one. Then he could go to another world and work some odd jobs until he figured out what he should do. It was a poor plan, and one that was likely to end badly (particularly if Yen Sid knew his secret), but it was all he had. His last strand of hope. Maybe the Fates would take mercy on him just this once.

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Sora gazed ahead of him as stars zoomed past the windows of his new gummi ship. When he had entered the tower where Yen Sid resided, he had found the place empty of all but dust and cobwebs. Strange as it seemed, it fit Sora's purpose. He didn't have to explain himself. He didn't have to ask for the gummi ship. He had avoided any questioning. This victory had been short-lived though. No sooner had Sora taken off on his new ship than he realized how like his father he had truly become. He had already stolen his first item. How soon until it turned to murder? Enslavement? Conquest? No. Sora wouldn't let that happen. Not now, not ever. He would not continue his father's legacy.

Maybe it was a mistake to think that way. Remembering his earlier vow to never become his father just reminded the teen of what he had left behind when he made that promise. He could still see the stricken faces of Donald and Goofy as they comprehended the new revelation. The guilt-drowned eyes of Mickey as he realized he could keep this a secret no longer. The confusion and the ghost of suspicion in Riku and Kairi's eyes as he refused to reveal the source of his pain. He had left them all behind. And he didn't know if he would ever see them again. If they would ever _want_ to see him again.

Unbidden memories returned to Sora full throttle. He remembered himself as a child, laughing with his friends. Nothing to worry about except getting home in time for dinner. He remembered nights past when he would think of other worlds and still dream that they were all benevolent and harmless. Simpler times. He remembered the previous year he had spent making new friends and truly learning for the first time the values of goodness and security over darkness and evil: two forces that he had never seen pitted against one another in his island home. He had been through the good times, and the bad, and everything in between. But through it all, he had always had his friends, whether new or old. Now, he was truly alone for the first time.

Silent tears fell gently down the sides of his face as the realization struck him. He had known he didn't have his friends with him, but until this moment he hadn't realized how _alone_ he really was. He had no one. Those he had had before were nowhere to be found and Sora had no way of even knowing if any of them still cared for him at all. Granted he knew where Donald and Goofy's loyalties were seeing as they had been the first to go, but he wasn't sure about Mickey, Riku, Kairi, or anyone else. And he dared not go back to ask for fear of rejection. Angrily, Sora tried to wipe the tears away from his face. To his embarrassment, they kept coming. They wouldn't stop. Sora was alone, and that was how things would stay. Sora knew it and he couldn't fool himself into believing anything else anymore. And so the tears kept coming. Unconsciously, Sora began to change direction in the gummi ship. Where he had been originally heading, he didn't know. Where he was going now was also beyond him. But he would go anyway. Anywhere that he couldn't be found. Where he couldn't be found by the very people whose existence he wanted so much to forget.

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Sora breathed deeply as he took in the sight of a garden path ringed with heart-shaped hedges on each side. After much internal struggle, he had decided to come to Wonderland. It was small. It was quiet. And most of all it provided him with a sort of sanctuary. After all, what were the odds that anyone would come looking for him here? He hadn't even been here since the prior year when he was first setting out on his mission of self-discovery. There was nothing to tie him here now so no one would bother to look. Right? Of course that was if they were looking for him at all.

Sora began to walk. It was strangely calming, in a way. Moving gave him a false sense of purpose. As if he knew what he was doing. What he was _going_ to do. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fool himself. He knew he had no idea what he was doing here. He would just have to deal with it until he figured something out. Until then, seclusion seemed oddly appealing.

Had he been in better spirits, Sora would have laughed aloud at the thought. Him! Wanting to be alone! That was something he had never expected to hear from himself! He had always loved company. Always desired attention. Seclusion had never before seemed like such a blessing. If he were to be honest with himself, he would have to admit that he would have considered it a curse before this day. It was strange how one event could alter a person's outlook so much in just a matter of hours. But maybe he had always had these aspects to his personality. Buried deep and out of reach until the right trigger came along to awaken them.

"Well. Someone seems rather downcast." a voice floated down from above.

"Huh! What!" Sora started, taken off guard by the voice. As he looked rapidly around for the source of the voice he noticed for the first time where he was. The Lotus Forest. That meant the voice could only be one thing.

"Did you miss me?" the Cheshire Cat asked as he appeared, laying casually on top of a rock nearby.

"AHHHHHH!" was the intelligent reply from Sora.

"I suppose not. . ." the cat said as he disappeared once again, only to reappear on a tree branch several meters away."But then what can I expect from one who thinks of himself as a demon?"

"Huh?" Sora asked. _'Please tell me he doesn't know too!'_

"If you refuse to even see your own light, then how do you expect others to see it?"

"Uhhh. . ." Sora was . . . confused. If you wanted to put it mildly. What was this cat babbling about?

Smiling widely, the Cheshire Cat disappeared once again from view. Sora sighed tiredly. Of course. The cat ignored him. But Sora couldn't necessarily hold it against him since he _always_ did that. Seconds later, the Cheshire Cat's disembodied voice sounded once more for Sora.

"Were you abandoned by your friends? Or by yourself? Do they hate you? Or do you hate yourself? One? Both? Neither? It's all the same to me, but entirely up to you."

Sora smiled ever so slightly.

"Thanks. I get it now. Or . . . I think I do. . ."

Yes. Sora knew exactly what he should do. No more making assumptions. No more running away from his problems. He would continue to do what the keyblade chose him for. He would fight the darkness. And if he met his father once again, well then he knew exactly what he wanted to do to him. And he wouldn't hesitate this time. He would not give up. He would not show mercy. And if his friend's still questioned his integrity . . . well he just didn't care anymore. He would prove his good intentions to them and if needed, he would live on without them. After all, he was the Keyblade Bearer. And he was truly beginning to believe that he could face anything.

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Me: So there you go! The second chapter of Innocence! Now what will Sora do with his new found confidence? The next one will have more humor in it, I promise! If you like the story or have a suggestion about how I can make it better, please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

* * *

Sora was wandering around Hollow Bastion. He had no clear objective. No purpose. He was just walking. Considering. Wondering exactly where he would go from here. He had accepted that his friends left him behind. He had decided he would continue his mission to rid the world of darkness. He looked ahead with grim determination as he pictured facing his father once again in combat. Despite all of this, he still had no idea where to go from here. Soon enough, he stopped walking and sighed deeply.

"What the hell am I doing here?"

In retrospect, it was a predictable destination. Every journey he had ever had before had either begun or ended in this very world. Maybe this place just gave him a much needed sense of control. A way of centering himself. Almost like he had a purpose in his actions here.

"Funny…I was about to ask you the same thing."

Sora jumped violently at the unexpected voice. He glanced up with large, round eyes which quickly grew even further in size as he saw who had spoken to him.

"What! You?"

"The one and only…"

"But…but I defeated you!"

"You really think so?"

Sora felt his breath speed up as the fellow teen approached him. Of all people, why was _Demyx_ here? Glancing around, Sora realized where exactly he was. This was where he had killed the young sitar player. Then did that mean…

"Y-you…you're a ghost! Aren't you?"

"Do you think I am, Sora?" Demyx replied, reaching out a single hand toward the young keyblade wielder. Sora flinched, expecting a hard blow, but instead he felt the warm flesh make gentle contact with his face. Wait…_warm_…

"S-so…you're _not_ a ghost?"

"Nope. I'm just as alive as you are."

"But…I _defeated_ you…I _saw_ you _die_!"

"Do you really think you can kill something that doesn't exist? It's pure philosophy really. If something doesn't fully exist, it can't easily die. At least not as easily as someone like you."

"W-what!" Sora squeaked. Did this guy just say he was going to _kill_ him?

"Now, now, no need to look so scared. I'm not going to hurt you."

Sora felt himself relax some. Then tense up again.

"And how do I know you aren't lying to me? You know, try to psyche me out with your Nobody-mind-games so I'll be an easier target?"

"Well…If I was…don't you think I would have killed you by now? I mean I was standing right over there for about 10 minutes while you were moping and talking to yourself." Demyx replied, motioning toward a flat rock which, now that Sora thought about it, seemed like it would be a relatively comfortable place to play music.

"O.k. so if you're not here to kill me…why _are_ you here?"

"Well that's just rude…"

"Huh?"

"I believe I asked _you_ that question first…"

"Oh…ummm…"

Demyx smirked slightly.

"You have no clue, do you?"

"How did you-"

"It's written all over your face. Come on Sora, where's that confident kid that 'killed off' nearly our entire organization? Or are you just not the hero everyone thought you were?"

"Why are you trying to help me?" Sora asked, exasperated and slightly offended that Demyx had implied he was not a hero after all. After visiting the Coliseum he was _very_ sensitive on that topic.

"I'm not sure really. Maybe I'm just trying to do the right thing. Maybe I just want to use you for my own gain."

"WHAT!"

Demyx smiled.

"I'm just joking Sora! Don't worry!"

Sora stared at the blonde teen in front of him. What was with this guy? He had known the older teen was strange from his previous encounters with him, but did he need psychological help or something? This was just too bizarre. Wait. Bizarre. Was this all part of some stupid reality show? Wait. That was stupid. How could ALL of his friends and enemies ally and someone rise from the dead just to freak him out? Despite the thought, Sora couldn't help but to look around himself suspiciously. Nothing _seemed_ out of the ordinary. At least not _yet_.

Sora felt like punching himself in the face. Why was he so weak? Had he not repeatedly told himself that he had accepted what was happening to him and would approach everything with a level head? Why, then, was he still grasping for any excuse that would disprove all that was happening?

"Ah…So you're still all hung up on your feelings, is that right dude?" Demyx spoke again after a brief silence.

"Yeah…" Sora replied with a sigh. After all, he was screwed no matter what he did now. He might as well take advantage of _anyone_ who acted as if they cared. Even if they were practically a zombie. Which Sora still didn't really understand. At all. And did this mean none of the Nobodies were dead? If so, Sora probably had a small army tracking him down.

"Well, if it helps at all dude, you still have friends."

Sora snorted scornfully at this comment.

"What friends? They left me!"

The sitar player smiled gently at the teen.

"Not all of them dude. Just think about it. Well I guess I'll see you around."

With that said, Demyx summoned his sitar and strode off to God-knows-where to do God-knows-what.

Sora watched him go with a strange expression on his face. If that hadn't been the weirdest conversation he had ever had, then Castle Oblivion must have fucked up his memory worse than he thought. He did learn some things from it though. For one thing- Nobodies were apparently hard to kill. For another thing- he _did_ still have friends. Leon and the others hadn't abandoned him! At least not yet. Feeling torn between hope and hesitation, Sora began to head toward Merlin's house to see the few friends he had left.

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Sora stood shaking before Leon and the rest of the gang. Despite his intent, he had not gone straight to Merlin's house after his conversation with Demyx. Instead he had gone to Merlin's house, stared at the door for 20 minutes, and then walked away where he wandered aimlessly for another couple of hours before finally making his way back to meet with his friends. Now he stood before everyone, struggling to find the words to reveal his new secret to his friends.

"S-so…w-what's up guys?" Sora asked awkwardly, one hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"What's this about Sora?" Leon asked, a look of slight irritation on his face. He was obviously wondering why Sora was wasting his time chatting with everyone when there was still a problem with the Heartless and Nobodies.

"Yeah-and where's Donald and Goofy?" Yuffie asked, a look of innocent curiosity on her face.

"U-uh…well…that's um…actually why I'm here…" Sora took a deep breath to brace himself for his next statement.

"The organization that we've been fighting this entire time...the leader...is my father..."

Everyone's jaw dropped at this revelation. Yuffie sent a panicked look towards Cid, who dropped the lone piece of wheat that was usually in his mouth. Leon gripped his gunblade, knuckles turning white from pressure. This information was not to be taken lightly. Sora could be a traitor for all he knew. He cast a glance at Cloud for confirmation but noticed he wasn't in the previous spot he was standing. He scanned the room, but saw no trace of the ex-SOLDIER. Where was-

"Sora."

The normally stoic blonde had the younger brunette scooped up in his arms. Most of those present in the room stared in shock at the pair. Leon on the other hand let go of his gunblade and was gaping at the plenty awkward scene. Cradled in Cloud's arms, Sora's mind shut down as his eyes widened. _'What the-'_

Cloud hugged Sora closer to his chest. He petted the younger boy's spiky hair affectionately. Sora was beyond confused by Cloud's actions. The older man barely even talked to him! If it wasn't about the silver haired SOLDIER, he didn't care. Though he had to admit, with all the recent turn of events, being held was kind of comforting. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks for about the millionth time in the last day. Xemnas was his father. He was his son. At that moment, Sora concluded, life sucked.

Sora muffled the tears that were due to fall by burying his face in Cloud's shirt. The blond just smiled and held him tighter. He whispered quietly in his ear so no one else could hear.

"It's okay to cry."

Sora's self control broke. Tears streamed down the brunette's face. Sobs racked throughout his body and he snuggled deeper into the older one's embrace. Leon snapped out of his stupor and walked forward.

"Cloud. . ."

Before he could start speaking though, the older blonde protectively gripped Sora tighter and tilted him away from the older approaching male.

"Don't you dare touch him!"

The blonde glared icy daggers at the brunette and Leon couldn't suppress the shudder that went through him as a result. Sora gave a soft smile thorough his sobs and choked slightly. At least someone cared. And honestly, that was more than enough for him right now. After all the crap he had been through since discovering his true identity, it was more than he could have hoped for. Cloud still cared. Maybe that meant there was still hope left for his other friends as well.

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The next day found Sora in front of Xehanort's lab with Cloud. After the initial shock brought about by Cloud's reaction to his revelation, Merlin had cleared his throat and awkwardly offered Sora a place to spend the night. Sora had (also awkwardly) accepted. After all, what else was there to do? Now, Cloud was teaching Sora how to wield his buster sword.

"In case you ever lose your keyblade, it's good to be able to fight using some other weapon." Cloud explained upon seeing Sora's incredulous (and slightly intimidated) stare.

Sora laughed nervously as he eyed Cloud's weapon. There was _no way_ he'd _ever_ be able to lift that.

"Um...and why would I lose my keyblade again?"

Cloud gave the brunette a pointed look.

"And exactly what happened during your first trip to Hollow Bastion?" he asked as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.

Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, cheeks darkening slightly.

"I guess..."

Cloud nodded in approval.

"That's what I thought. Now swing!"

Leon watched the pair with a heavy sigh. After finding out who Sora's father was, Cloud had decided it was necessary to emotionally attach himself to the teenager. Cloud had showered him with motherly affection for the past 12 hours claiming that it would help Sora be more emotionally stable. Leon was pretty sure that Cloud just secretly wanted to be a mother.

"Just like that!" Cloud encouraged Sora as he struggled to keep the sword up. Leon shuddered from his corner. He made a mental note to never ask to hold Cloud's buster sword.

"Grip the handle tighter and straighten your back."

Sora did as instructed. He closed his eyes tightly and saw white. He didn't know how Cloud did it, but he promised himself to never doubt the blonde's strength again. Sora opened his eyes slowly to see the ecstatic face of Cloud and the somewhat disturbed Leon.

"Yes! You did that perfect!" Cloud praised.

Sora couldn't help but to smile shyly at the compliment. He had to admit, he kind of liked this new Cloud. It was creepy at times but overall, Cloud had become the older brother he never had (well he did have Riku growing up. But come on! Cloud wasn't as mean! Riku had always been too competitive). As Cloud continued to shower the younger with compliments (even though Sora had already put the buster sword back on the ground. I mean come on-that thing was RIDICULOUSLY heavy!) Sora began to hear slow clapping coming from behind him. Cloud instantly stopped talking with a glare plastered on his face. Sora, thinking it was Leon finally coming around to the new circumstances, turned around hopefully. It wasn't Leon.

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A/N: I know, those of you who have actually been waiting for this chapter are going to kill me. I have no good excuse for taking a year for this lame 5-page chapter. Especially since I've had the first half done since about September. But maybe you'll forgive me if I say I have a lot more ideas for the rest of the story? I'm going to do all I can to make these updates quicker without losing content. I was going to wait and make this one longer but the guilt was killing me so you get a cliffhanger instead. Content-wise, I'm sorry if I'm being too repetitive in my writing. I know you guys get it- Sora is depressed. I'm really not trying to insult your intelligence. It's just my opinion that people lie to themselves way too much and this is all still pretty new to poor Sora. It WILL get better. Just bear with me for a little longer and he WILL start to get over it and move on with the plot. And about Demyx- I tried to explain why he's still alive as best as I could but if there is still confusion just message me and I'll try to clear it up. As always I would really appreciate some feedback but I don't blame you guys if you're too mad to review this one. Wow I think this is the longest A/N I've even written. I'm just going to stop rambling now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

_Sora began to hear slow clapping coming from behind him. Cloud instantly stopped talking with a glare plastered on his face. Sora, thinking it was Leon finally coming around to the new circumstances, turned around hopefully. It wasn't Leon. _

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Sora's eyes widened as he saw the source of Cloud's righteous anger. Before them stood Sephiroth. The very bane of Cloud's existence and by extent, Sora's as well. Somehow Sora had never been able to shake the loss he suffered at the hands of the one-winged angel during the platinum match at his very first Games. Sora winced slightly, remembering the pain of Sephiroth's meteors as they struck the bare skin on his arms (which had been much more scrawny and pathetic in those days). Sora wondered why this man now stood before him, clapping lazily with a menacing smirk plastered across his face.

Meanwhile, Sephiroth scoffed at the pathetic display before him. This was the best the keyblade brat could do? Surely even the keyblade master would be able to lift that child's toy Cloud used as a weapon. Speaking of the boy, he heard rumors floating around about him. Rumors of lies kept hidden for years. Of treachery in the most evil organization of all the worlds. Of the less than noble origins of the very boy who stood in front of him. Oh yes, Sephiroth had his sources.

Honestly, the information meant absolutely nothing to him. But Sephiroth had a job to do and anyway, he had been interested in seeing how Cloud would react. The one winged angel felt his lips curl into a smirk once again as he remembered the sight of Cloud teaching the boy as if he were his ward. Maybe the dark heart of Cloud was not so lost as Sephiroth had believed. He would have to change that. Maybe if he took the younger's life. Sadly, that task fell to another individual more capable than himself (not that many could claim such esteemed skill). Either way, it would be fun and he could always simply wound the boy.

"So…is this your new charity project Sora? Helping this slave to the darkness fool himself into thinking he actually has light within him?"

"SHUT UP!" Sora shouted.

Sephiroth's smirk became even more pronounced with his next statement.

"And why would I do that? If you can barely life that blade at your feet, why should I be afraid of you?"

"Leave him alone Sephiroth…" Cloud said with menace. If looks could kill, then Sephiroth would be rotting in Hell enduring the wrath of divine punishment as they spoke.

"Or what? You know you cannot defeat me…you _are_ me…"

In the blink of an eye, Cloud held his buster sword in his hand ready for battle. Sora summoned his keyblade as well and stood next to the blonde.

"Bring it Sephiroth!" Sora shouted.

"Sora…back off…" Cloud said.

Sora immediately opened his mouth to protest.

"But I-"

"SORA!"

Sora jumped as Cloud turned to him with a stern look on his face, eyes ablaze with anger at being disobeyed. Sora opened and closed his mouth, looking more like a fish out of water than the heroic persona he tried to maintain in these situations. When Cloud was satisfied that Sora would not jump into the fray any time soon, he faced Sephiroth again who was only looking at him with an expression of light amusement.

"Well, I had hoped you would allow the boy to fight me…but I'm sure he won't be able to resist…once I have you on your knees."

With that said, Sephiroth charged fearlessly at Cloud, barely giving him a chance to block the blow. Cloud was pushed backward several inches.

"CLOUD!"

"Sora…Don't you dare…"

Cloud quickly retaliated with his own attack, blocked effortlessly by Sephiroth. Cloud tried again, but was also foiled. Angered, frustrated, and wanting this fight to end (preferably before Sora did something stupid to jeopardize either of their lives), Cloud swung his blade over and over again in the most complicated sets of combos he knew. Sephiroth wasn't even breaking a sweat. Finally, Cloud realized that this tactic would never work against this particular swordsman and stopped his reckless swinging. Cloud panted as he glared at his enemy. After all the time and training he had devoted toward preparing for this fight, he still couldn't do it.

No.

This was not the way he should be thinking. If he lost this fight then both he and Sora were dead. Damnit. He needed some kind of leverage on this man. Something that could catch him by surprise. It was the only way to make it out of this battle. Unlike his previous encounters with the fellow ex-SOLDIER, this time Sephiroth was _not_ playing with him. He had no intention of leaving him alive to play with at a later time. Or perhaps he did. Maybe it was Sora he was after. Maybe this was simply his latest ploy to make Cloud hate the world as much as he did. Well it wouldn't work. Sora was too good to fall for this. Surely he would see what was going on and escape!

No sooner had the thought passed his mind than he saw Sora begin edging slowly around the site of his battle.

'_Yes! He's leaving!'_

Cloud struggled not to smile. No matter what Sephiroth's intentions with him were, the boy would be safe. After seeing his face when he admitted his heritage, Cloud had seen himself in the younger. He had obviously been left behind by his friends. He felt unsure about his future. He was miserable. He was just like Cloud. This is why Cloud was showing so much care for the boy. He didn't want him to lose his light. He didn't want him to end up just like himself. His thoughts abruptly ceased when he noticed Sora raise his keyblade and wink at him. Sora was now standing just close enough to Sephiroth to begin an attack.

'_That idiot…'_

When Sora dashed toward Sephiroth to engage him in combat, he was shocked at the ease with which Sephiroth stopped him in his tracks. Sephiroth grinned almost manically. This is what he wanted. With one quick wrist movement, Sephiroth held Masumune at Sora's neck. He had the boy right where he wanted him. Sora smiled sheepishly at Cloud.

"Heh…my bad…"

The glare Sora received from the blonde could have made Hell itself freeze over. Sora could practically hear the blonde's thoughts radiating from him.

'_I told you not to try it…you idiot…'_

In Sora's defense, he was only trying to help. Cloud had just suddenly stopped fighting and had been breathing pretty hard. What was he supposed to do? Sit there and twiddle his thumbs while thinking _'Oh, he's got this. He's like Superman! He doesn't need a sidekick!_'? No. That's what a coward would do! He would have never forgiven himself if Cloud had been hurt and he hadn't raised a finger to help him!

"Well…I didn't think it would be so easy to defeat you Keyblade Master. But wait…I lied…I _did_ think it would be this easy…"

Sephiroth gave a chilling smirk as he drew back his hand slightly. Just as he was about to bring it back to the teen's neck in a fatal blow, he was stopped. Sephiroth felt his eyes widen as he felt a hand holding back his wrist, followed by a quick spurt of water to his face. Sephiroth scowled and wiped his eyes with his free hand before glaring at his captor.

Behind him stood a man with a long ponytail and an eye-patch. To the inexperienced infantryman, this man looked tough enough to make anyone shit their pants. To Sephiroth, he looked like a mild inconvenience. And his blonde, mullet-haired sidekick looked like a lost puppy who was terrified of anyone with anything appearing even remotely like a weapon (ironically enough, the inexperienced infantryman would have said the same about him).

Xigbar simply gazed at the silver-haired man whose wrist he held with a bored expression on his face. Really? This was what Demyx wanted? To save the keyblade brat from some psychopathic axe-murderer? Well it would kill some time at least.

"What are you doing dude?" Xigbar asked the man lazily.

"Collecting payment." Sephiroth replied coolly.

"Heh- why do we need to have weapons for that? I'm sure however much money he owes you can be paid back with interest." Demyx said with a nervous attempt at a smile.

Sephiroth jerked his wrist away from Xigbar and turned away from the two haughtily.

"I'm afraid what the keyblade master owes me is not so insignificant as _munny._" Sephiroth scoffed.

"But I don't owe you anything!" Sora exclaimed, sick of all Sephiroth's word games by now. Seriously, when did he mention _anything_ about him owing him _anything_?

"And that is the root of our problem is it not?" Sephiroth replied cryptically. "My employer has special orders for me in regard to you keyblade master."

"Employer?" Cloud exclaimed in surprise and indignation. "Since when do you work for anyone other than yourself?"

"We all work for someone else. It only takes a person with intelligence to realize this." Sephiroth replied, staring pointedly at a clueless Sora. "Now. Enough of this pointless talk. Let's finish what we started here." Sephiroth stated, regaining a battle stance.

Cloud immediately held up his buster sword in anticipation for the battle to come. Sora and Xigbar also drew their weapons while Demyx stood quivering at the periphery of their battleground, sitar clenched tightly in his hand.

After a moment of staring down his opponents, Sephiroth leapt into action. His blade was nearly indistinguishable to the naked eye from the speed with which it was moving. Surprisingly, it was Xigbar who seemed to be the one most capable of matching the manic pace at which Sephiroth was moving and countering his blows with short-range shots from his snipers. Cloud and Sora jumped in occasionally to hit anything Sephiroth left unguarded while Demyx sent occasional waves of water his way in an attempt to disrupt either his speed or sight. Eventually, the quartet succeeded in wearing Sephiroth down to the point of surrender.

Smirking, Sephiroth lowered Masumune and turned around.

"Well done…I guess this is the end of this encounter. See you around…keyblade master…"

With those words, Sephiroth leapt into the sky and, with the help of his single wing, flew off into the distance. Sora glared at Sephiroth's retreating figure, only turning away when he heard a frightened squeak coming from behind him. He turned to see Cloud with his buster sword pointed at a very scared Demyx.

"Cloud! What are you doing?"

"These two are subordinates of your father, are they not?" Cloud replied simply.

"But…but they _helped_ us! They can't be evil! Uh…you're _not_ evil…are you?" Sora replied, glancing at the two nobodies with the utterance of his query.

"Gee…I just don't know little dude…I thought we were good guys, you know, saving your scrawny necks and all…but apparently Blondie here has a problem with being shown up." Xigbar replied with a one-eyed glare in Cloud's direction while Demyx just nodded frantically in agreement, never taking his gaze from the blade the blonde held.

"See Cloud! They aren't hurting anyone! Stop being a jerk!"

"Yeah, listen to the kiddie, Blondie, before this little mullet-head has a heart attack."

Still not eager to trust the two nobodies, Cloud lowered his buster sword (not that his glare lessened in the slightest, if anything it increased in intensity).

"Well…if you two are so _good_" Cloud spat the word, "then why do you work for the organization?"

"Psh-as if we would stay in that lame-ass organization! Do you realize how poor the benefits are? We get no pay, no unemployment benefits, and the insurance sucks since Xemnas is apparently just fine with us all dying and leaving Kingdom Hearts to him alone! We even have to pay for our own items! No…we are now _ex_-Organization members! In fact, we discussed making our own group where only awesome dudes are allowed! We thought we could call it Loose Federation 2 since we're so much more laid back than those stiffs at Organization 13- or Organization 11 I guess they're called now."

"See Cloud! It's perfectly o.k.! They're a loose federation! That means they have a lot more room to move around and do what they want! Good things! Like save us!"

"Yeah! Exactamundo little dude!"

"Well thanks for the help! Good luck with your Loose Federation!"

"Um…actually…" Demyx spoke up for the first time, "we were…ummm…kind of hoping…we could…um…you know…uh…yeah…Xiggy?"

Xigbar placed a single hand upon the young blonde's shoulder in a friendly, supportive gesture with just the most subtle hint of "grow a spine you ball less idiot" implied.

"What my little dude-in-training here means is…since we're now on our own and can do whatever we want…we want to travel with you!"

"No." Cloud spoke up, refusing to allow these two idiots (who still had failed to convince him that they were not evil) the chance of traveling with the boy. _Especially_ when his so-called friends had left him to fend for himself. Sora was too naïve. How would he know if they were planning to betray him to his father or simply use him for their own gain?

"You know, Blondie...I'm pretty sure I asked _Sora_ for _his_ opinion. Not you. Now let the hero of all the worlds decide for himself. As if he needs you treating him like a child anyway." Xigbar replied in a condescending tone.

This made Sora think. He _was_ technically supposed to be responsible. He no longer had the wet blanket known as Donald Duck there to tell him when he was being an idiot. Logically, the keyblade master shouldn't even need a wet blanket around to make good decisions. He glanced at Cloud who looked furious at Xigbar's admonitions.

"Well…I guess you two could come with me…uh…" Sora began, only to falter at the furious look Cloud gave him. Seriously, just because he agreed didn't mean he was on Xigbar's side in this argument! O.k. so maybe he was…but it was because he thought it was right! Not because he didn't trust Cloud! No one made his decisions for him!

"Great! Let's go then dude!"

"Wait!" Sora exclaimed, "We can't go _now_! I need to let the other's know! And we don't have a plan!"

"Do you _ever_ have a plan before you leave somewhere?"

"Uh…not…exactly…" Sora replied hesitantly, "But how did you-?"

"Another time dude! The Organization's spies are none of our concern right now! But daddy dearest might be so we should get a move on!"

"What?" Sora replied, confused. What did his father have to do with this?

Demyx cast his eyes downward as he answered for the sniper.

"Well…he doesn't exactly know we left the organization yet…"

"But no worries little dude! We can totally take him if he comes after us with his lackeys!"

"Uh…are you sure?" Sora questioned, now hesitant about traveling with two people who were essentially fugitives and would be sure to draw Xemnas's attention.

"Relax dude…as if Daddy-o would be tracking you down any less frantically without us! Your number one on his hit list no matter what the rest of us do!"

Well. That didn't make Sora feel any better. But he supposed he would stand a better chance with a skilled hit man like Xigbar and his pet, uh, David Bowie impersonator than on his own.

"Well…ok…"

"Great then!"

This time, Xigbar grabbed Sora's hand running for the gummi ship, Demyx close on his heels.

"WAIT! All my potions are at Merlin's house! And the gummi ship is that way!" Sora exclaimed, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Change of course then dude!" Xigbar exclaimed, easily changing direction.

Cloud stood in place. What just happened? Did Sora seriously just ignore all reason and agree to travel with two enemies? And enemies that worked for his father at that?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: As you can tell, I was in a crack mood when I wrote the majority of this. I'm trying to get away from the angst here a little bit. I don't want to be too repetitive with you guys, plus Sora _is_ going to get over the whole my-father-is-evil thing as time goes on and more people accept him (like Cloud!). I always intended to make this a primarily humorous story anyway. I'm not taking all seriousness out of it though so no worries. And for those of you who caught it-yes, I did put a Demyx Time reference in here. For those who you who didn't catch it, I recommend looking it up of YouTube (it's seriously hilarious).

As always, reviews are appreciated and cherished (I REALLY want to know what you guys think so far). I'll get the next chapter written as quick as I can for you guys.


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